Unlikely Acquaintance
by wasuremonogatari
Summary: "Sasuke-kun?" Doe eyes blinked up at him through the dark. "What… What are you doing here?" He stared. "I have come to carry out my parental duty." He stated, feeling puzzled. "In the janitor's closet?"He flinched at her comment."I sought a remote place to wait until these people spread out." Sasuke paused, releasing the hilt of his sword. "…in the janitor's closet."
1. The Meeting

_Author's Note_ \- Hello and welcome! This is a one-shot(?) I wrote recently. I am publishing it in hopes of receiving constructive criticism, so feel free to leave your opinions in the review section or alert me via PM. The interaction between Sasuke and Hinata in _Boruto: The Movie_ really sparked my interest. I tried not to make them OOC, but if you think they did turn out that way, let me know why!

Without further ado, here is a scenario in which my favorite introverts of the _Naruto_ world are forced to bond over a parent-teacher meeting they reluctantly attend.

 **Parental Advisory**

As a man who'd grown up with a prominent inferiority complex and spent most of his life in solitude, in moments like these Uchiha Sasuke understood just how greatly he relied on his wife.

His only existing palm was soaked in cold sweat and the blackness of his coat was not the most summer friendly of attires. Deafening screams of insolent children and chatter of parents alike were ringing in his refined ears and in no way could he suppress his unspoken anxiety. With Sakura's hand miles away to hold, he gripped onto the hilt of his sword, stormy eyes reading his own name at the long list of adults attending parents' day in the Academy which hung off the large board in the front yard. His knuckles went white as he fought the urge to lash out on the savage villagers who continued to step on him and carelessly brush past him.

'Just be nice', she said.

'Just be yourself.', she said.

The torrent of people followed the same current towards the entrance. Sasuke blended in as much as a man of his height and reputation could, but the fact that these pedestrians were comfortable around him enough not to fear touching him drove him nuts. He used to be the antagonists of scary bedtime stories mothers told their children before bedtime. Now they were skipping past him leisurely as if he were no dangerous than a broken lamp post.

At the door, he cast one last wistful glance over the shoulder towards his petite daughter whom he easily distinguished in the distance beating some poor child to a pulp on the playground. That little parental pride served as wind in the back for him to make the last step into the familiar Academy corridor.

It was a different building than the one he had attended school in when he was his daughter's age, but it was built as a replica to the original which had been ruined during Pain's attack years ago.

Warily checking the classroom numbers as he walked through the corridor, he noticed the one in which Sakura had spent a fair share of her late teens in, teaching medical techniques to genin. His wife had told Sarada about her days in Academy cabinet 19b, although she had failed to mention it had also served as a convenient make-out spot for the young couple at the time.

Oh yes, in moments like these, Sasuke really missed his wife.

He was then back to seething once he felt a strange woman's bosom brush against his back and it did not matter whether the act was accidental or deliberate. Making a sharp turn to the right, he found himself facing a janitor's closet which he swiftly entered. His plan was to wait inside and find the predetermined classroom number 47c in the last minute once the crowd cleared. In his early youth, young Uchiha Sasuke, the juvenile heart-throb, grew elaborately familiar with the Academy's good hiding places in case he ever had to find one in order to escape his fangirls.

But then, in the darkness of the cramped room which smelled like soap and disinfectant, he noticed a presence. Turning his head towards the figure curled opposite of him, he quirked his eyebrow.

"Hyuuga?" The nickname was somewhat too informal and impolite for the respected man Uchiha Sasuke came to be, but he had first adorned her with it years ago, and it somehow stuck. "Sasuke-kun?" Pale eyes stared up into its own. "What… What are you doing here?" She stuttered in shock of seeing him there of all places. "I have come to carry out my parental duty." He stated, feeling puzzled.

"In the janitor's closet..?" She blinked her doe eyes in the relative darkness of the room. It was funny how in spite of being a happily married woman and 27 years of age, she still behaved like a child at times.

Sasuke didn't ponder further as to why that description sounded so familiar.

He flinched at her comment."I sought a remote place to wait until these people spread out." Sasuke paused, releasing the hilt of his sword. "…in the janitor's closet." Hinata chuckled bashfully before nodding in understanding. Her solitude was very much explicable. Sasuke was aware that Naruto was attending a Kage summit concerning the transfer and exchange of medical herbs within the United Nations. It was the same summit which required his partner's presence by the Hokage's side in the Land of Grass.

Still, she was not explaining her reasons for crouching on the floor of a random disposal room instead of heading up to the classroom she'd been assigned to. "Isn't it slightly inappropriate for the First Lady of Konoha to be hiding in here like a little child?" He questioned.

The woman flushed, burying her face in her knees. "They all want to talk to me…" She confessed and Sasuke somehow felt for her painfully introverted nature. Glancing at the door knob, he deftly turned the lock. After hearing a clicking sound, Hinata saw the Uchiha face her before he took a step forward. Just as she was becoming increasingly intimidated by his towering over her, he lowered himself into a cross-legged position leaving a (considering the amount of space at disposal) generous distance of two feet in between them, respectively.

The man's trademark regal posture was still intact and Hinata couldn't help but notice that the contrast of the shady background and the mop hanging inches above his head, was oddly amusing. She allowed a small smile to creep up her features. Shifting in her seat and folding her knees beneath her, she tucked a stray lock of midnight blue behind her ear. Being positioned formally like this in front of a placid man reminded her of countless hours she had used to spend drinking tea with her cousin.

"Would you like to converse in the meanwhile, Uchiha-san?" Hinata inquired politely.

Sasuke had found her sudden change in posture unexpected, although the proposition was amusing. During the years long span of their unlikely acquaintance, never had Sasuke really found anything particularly wrong with his best friend's beloved, which relieved him. There was a pleasant tug at the corner of his lip. "That is a good idea."

With his confirmation, Hinata's hesitation melted. Sakura was her best friend and through both her and Naruto she knew more than enough about Uchiha Sasuke to consider him a close friend. In reality though, they rarely spoke past the formalities. "Is there a certain topic you'd fancy discussing?" Her formal manner of speech was a habit long forgotten ever since she had started dating her current husband. Even though in jest, Sasuke couldn't help but chuckle at the familiarity. The majority of high ranking Uchiha officials did the exact same thing in the past, as far as he could remember. As a child, he had found their vocabulary far too difficult to understand which eventually put a stop to his past eavesdropping habit.

Sasuke took a moment to take in her appearance through the dark. "What's up with your hair?" It was the first thing that crossed his mind. Hinata raised her eyebrows questioningly. She took a strand from her low ponytail and twirled it around her fingers protectively. "What's wrong with my hair?" She pondered defensively. Sasuke shook his head. "I've seen hundreds of Hyuuga in my lifetime and none of them had blue hair of all things." Hinata giggled at the genuine curiosity. "I am very much purely bred, my mother was a branch member. It's a maternally transmitted gene, only recognized in our lineage." She elaborated smartly.

Actually, the man hadn't expected a real answer but was pleasantly surprised. "That makes sense, although it's obviously leaving the clan for good." He started. "Himawari looks a lot like you… thankfully." The woman blushed. To a mother there was nothing more beautiful than her own child.

"She does. After Boruto, it only seems fair." Hinata giggled at her own remark.

"I like Himawari. She's nice yet clever and calculated. As far as your eldest ray of sunshine goes, I thought your genes would've been contrasting enough to Naruto's to avoid such a disaster from striking another generation of Konoha shinobi, but I guess I was wrong to aspire." Sasuke finished in a remorseful tone. Hinata picked up a disheveled roll of toilet paper from the floor beside her and began to rearrange it. She rightfully took the man's comment as no more than a jest. Better than anyone she knew how much he loved both her son and her husband.

"Naruto has a theory about that." She started, unconsciously beaming in recollection of her husband's antics. "He says that Boruto will start becoming more and more like me as he grows older." Sasuke listened and slowly nodded.

"If that does happen, then I might consider approving of my daughter's infatuation with him, although that is indefinite." He sighed. "Sasuke-kun, they're still kids, don't take it too seriously." Hinata tried to soothe him. She had heard that he wasn't dealing well with the notion of Sarada's following her son around. Truthfully, Hinata had thought it was cute the first time she noticed the little girl hiding behind a flower fence while she was taking her children to play in the park.

"You stalked that blowhard I call my brother too, and look where you ended up - nine years of marriage, two kids and counting." Sasuke frowned the face of truth and one flushed visage of Uzumaki Hinata. "C-Counting?"

"I have come to terms with this situation years ago. If she is anything like her mother, she will take this love to her grave and if Boruto's anything like his father, it'll take a ridiculously powerful genjutsu for him to realize it." He paused before firmly looking his companion firmly in the eye. "Still, I am working on carving a path for my daughter to lead her away from this unfortunate fate."

"How do you plan on doing that?" She asked, awkwardly putting away the neatly folded paper roll before curling her digits around the cloth of her pants. Eloquently, Sasuke pulled his sword into his lap, resting it there comfortably.

"I don't know..."

Hinata sweat-dropped at his embarrassed reply.

"I'm still hoping that Boruto has not acquired Naruto's preference for brunettes." He said seriously. "If such a scenario were to be avoided and he chose his romantic partners by your physical standards…" Sasuke smirked. "Then he'd have to go for Sai's kid." Hinata laughed at his peculiar sense of humor which appeared in sudden bursts of energy in midst of serious conversations. "Himawari already has called dibs on Inojin, I'm afraid.." She hummed.

"The blond fetish? Way to go, Hyuuga, narrowing her choice like that." Sasuke grinned lightly, tapping his fingers against the floor.

A pleasant silence lingered for a moment before Sasuke dared ask a rather intimate question. It was definitely straying too far from his comfort zone, but he was sure the woman wouldn't notice. Hyuuga Hinata was the closest thing to a female friend he had in the world (he was pathetic assuming that after a single shallow conversation, but Sasuke was in a crisis). He knew he could trust his friend's wife and even if she ended up telling Naruto about it, Sasuke would find a way to shut him up.

"How is it with Boruto?" His first attempt left her blinking inquisitively for a second before he reformulated the sentence, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "What I mean is… how do you like having a boy in the house?" He didn't need to say anything else, for Hinata had already softened considerably in awe.

"Sasuke-kun… Do you want to have another child?" Hinata asked and the Uchiha did something very out of character. He blushed in the dark, shifting for a curtain of raven hair to cover his face for a moment. "It's okay!" She raised her hand as if to stop his panic. When he faced her again and raised his chin slightly, she smiled.

"Well…" Hinata started. "I am very gentle by nature. I always dreaded conflict and was convinced that I would fail miserably raising a child without spoiling them." She chuckled. "Naruto wanted them so badly and so did I, frankly. I had my doubts, but when Boruto first came, in a split second it felt as if my entire perspective of the world had suddenly changed. I'm sure you must've experienced the same thing once Sarada was born. None of us ventured into the world with the knowledge of how to be the perfect parent." Their eyes never lost contact and she was content with the way Sasuke was listening to every word she said.

"I always knew I wanted to restore my clan, but fatherhood was never something I considered until Sarada came along. I never thought I had it in me to be an affectionate parent and give my child what she needed from me." He confessed, to which Hinata nodded.

"Don't think you're the only one. Raising a child with Naruto is another thing I knew would be difficult, in a way. He'd never had a family of his own and it was all very new to him. Every day I saw him struggle, fight his fears. He shed a lot of tears during that first year and I remember him coming down with a fever after doing so excessively after he first burped Boruto." She giggled in reminiscence.

"But as scary as it may seem at first, you come to realize that that child is also a part of you. Every second I took to fall in love with that man and he with me, escalated into that moment when a life was born. Boruto taught me how to be a good mother, if such a thing does exist. I ended up having a baby boy and he was the exact opposite of me, but I understand him the way I understand my husband. And as he grows older, I see him having the same insecurities as I used to when I was his age. It gives me joy being able to help him as his guardian and someone who's lived the life which awaits him. There's no way you can go wrong with that."

By the end of her monologue, Sasuke felt like his heartbeat was quickening. Yes, he missed his wife very much. "Do you think she wants to go through all of that again?" He asked, and Hinata knew very well what he was referring to.

"Sakura had a difficult pregnancy. I was fortunate enough not to, so I can't tell you what that feels like accurately. What I can tell you is that your wife and I are women of very similar moral codes and aspirations in life. We also have the same feelings about motherhood." She paused before blushing briefly. "It seems as if Naruto has already mentioned this to you, but… we're trying again." Hinata rubbed the flatness of her stomach. "Sakura wants the same things you do, but she's wary. She doesn't want to burden you or have you do things out of guilt. Feel free to talk to her about this. I'm sure my husband and I won't be the only ones hoping for a baby soon." She beamed at him and Sasuke exhaled shakily.

All of a sudden, a loud ring echoed through the hallway beyond the door Sasuke was leaning against and Hinata gasped. "We're late for the meeting!"

...

Aburame Shino had already begun his annual lecture for parents of 2rd grade students in Academy classroom number 47c when the bell rang, courtesy of his flawless punctuality. He also was not the only one to notice the lack of their boisterous Hokage and his pink haired friend, matriarch of the Uchiha. In fact, their usual seats at the back of the room remained empty but Shino did not address the vacancy. Others glanced at the back inquisitively from time to time, but once the meeting started, all eyes were on him.

He had begun to read out their names, collocating them with the ones of their children. He'd tick them on a clipboard in his hand supporting a few papers with dozens of names and then briefly look up to get a view of their mugs, preferably memorizing them.

"Uzumaki Naru-…" His voice grew thin as he noticed a different name in place of the blond father who liked to advocate for his boy. "Uzumaki Hinata?" Shino looked up in search of his best friend whom he knew bared an anxiety against such crowded places, especially if everybody there knew her and wanted to be on her good graces.

"P-Present." There she was in her husband's usual seat, accompanied by none other than Uchiha Sasuke. Her hair was in a low ponytail with strands framing her face and and clad in a violet blouse, as far as Shino could see. There was an uncomfortable flush on her cheeks and a heavier breathing rhythm patronizing her lungs - those changes were so slight nobody that in the room aside from him would have noticed. Few people in the world knew to read the body language of Hyuuga Hinata as well as her ex-teammate and dear friend.

Many people began to turn around to look at her, partially because she had never attended a parent-teacher meeting in her life before and partially because most had noticed that neither of Boruto's parents had initially arrived on time. The Uchiha's presence was as shocking as the question of how they managed to sneak in past a roomful of ninja and a few civilians.

Things somehow started to make sense for the Aburame in question. He sighed. They had definitely not been there five minutes ago. "Uchiha Sasuke?" Shino merely averted his eyes as the two children were well-known for following one another in the school book. The crippled ex-avenger, clad in grey and black with a lengthy rope of hair hiding his infamous sharrinegan, stared at him for a few seconds before uttering: "Present."

Meanwhile, as Shino continued his purging of the list, the pair in the back was slowly heaving in relief. After a few minutes as everybody's attention escaped them, the situation felt a lot less suffocating.

"Good job." Sasuke said so in a conveniently inaudible tone of voice as he settled his elbow on the desk, covering his mouth casually. Hinata eyed him in embarrassment before nodding. "Thank you." A smile tugged at her lip. Their eyes met. "I never suspected you were still as capable after all these years." He confessed.

Hinata deftly pulled her hair out of the white headband holding it back and tilted her head to the side so that her face could be hidden by the dark curtain, placing her chin to rest at the palm of her hand while she mirrored Sasuke's position. "It was a long time coming that Naruto was going to become Hokage. If you had asked me that twenty years ago, you would've seen I'd been just as convinced of that." She giggled in reminiscence before heaving a sigh. "I'm the mother of his children and he's been awfully busy for the past year ever since he took over Kakashi's position. It is my responsibility to protect them while he can't." She whispered.

Both as trained ninja and fellow extreme introverts, they could converse quietly without being heard while not being uncomfortable. Sasuke nodded as he made himself comfortable besides the timid woman.

"I agree with your views… I got a long and difficult mission to complete shortly after Sarada was born. The only pardon I received was a permission to visit her every once in awhile. It went on like that for a couple of years. I owe Sakura everything, not only for all she did for me in my youth, but for mostly single-handedly raising such a beautiful young girl I'm proud to call my daughter and for giving me the right to do so."

Sasuke paused as they both glanced at Shino who began his introduction before continuing, without turning to look at her again. Both their eyes were glued to the front and anybody gazing at the pair wouldn't have noticed they were having a conversation all the while with their mouths hidden from sight.

"She is a strong woman who can take care of herself just fine. But I want to to that for her. I've been back for three years now and every day I wonder what I have done to deserve her." Sasuke finished with a sentimental confession, one that he hadn't expected to ever make aloud. Hinata's eyes gleamed as they stared through the blackboard.

"Maybe it's not a matter of what you have done, but of what you will do in the future as well." The First Lady said softly, the Uchiha's side profile blurry in her peripheral vision as their shoulders brushed. "You already gave her three incredible things… Your existence motivated her to become the strong and beautiful woman you adore today. You gave her the gift of experiencing true love, as painful as it might've been. Then, you gave her the thing you both care for more than can be put into words. Your child."

The breeze which came in through the window (much like the two dark haired, responsible parents had earlier) carried the scent of freshly cut grass. Sasuke was suddenly enjoying himself. Hyuuga Hinata- scratch that, Uzumaki Hinata was a pleasant talk.

"We both got lucky in the end, didn't we?" Sasuke murmured. Indeed, he knew all about Hinata's lifelong pursuit of Naruto. He admired it and was genuinely happy for her achievement once the word reached him somewhere in the Land of Earth that the future Hokage and War hero, Uzumaki Naruto was meeting Hyuuga Hinata with interest.

"Hey…" he started again and Hinata glanced at him ponderously before her gaze fell onto the empty desk and the pale swirls of the smooth wood. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it to your wedding." Sasuke suddenly apologized. He'd done so nine years age to Naruto, sure. He'd even sent a gift basket later and taken his friend to have an alternative and belated bachelor's party at Ichiraku's.

Kiba had tried to drag Naruto and the gang to a strip club, but that only ended up with the blonde developing a mild form of PTSD and sprinting back home crying into Hinata's bosom till the end of the night, as far as Sasuke knew. Not that that wasn't lots of fun for both of the lovers, consequently, and a whole lot sexier than naked civilians dancing to awkward beats.

Oh, yes. Sasuke knew too much.

"There is no need to apologize." Hinata smiled against the pale skin of her knuckles. "It is much more precious to me that you are here now and a part of our children's lives. As far as the wedding is concerned, Naruto understood you couldn't make it." She reassured, quietly. Sasuke then chuckled. "I bet he forgot all about my sorry-ass by sundown."

Glancing at the Hyuuga, he saw her bury her reddening face in her hands for a moment before she muffled an embarrassed laugh. "I'd be worried if he didn't." With her sheepish remark, Sasuke couldn't help the chuckle which escaped him. It was a bit louder than he would've liked.

"Uzumaki, Uchiha." Shino's voice rang and their heads snapped up, alertly. Hinata's eyes widened at the roomful of people now staring at them. Sasuke didn't falter for a second but his palm was getting sweaty again. "Yes." Sasuke addressed the Aburame inquisitively. He couldn't have heard them, right?

"Please care to join me privately after class." Shino said. Class? Sasuke rubbed his throbbing temple.

The approximate thirty minutes which separated them from the much awaited for ring, the pair spent doing all sorts of fun and responsible parental activities which meant avoiding conversation. Hinata leisurely activated her bloodline and began revising the student diaries in Shino's desk, searching for Boruto's as well as studying his classmates'.

Sasuke had been pestered by his beloved too many times about abusing his kekkei-genkai in public to allow himself such a luxury, although burning holes into a random woman's back and seeing her fifth sense react to the tension proved itself to be equally as amusing while counting down minutes until shady bug-boy the Academy teacher would give him and the First Lady a scolding.

 _End Scene_

 _AN_ : Tell me what you think! Should I continue the story? Maybe see what Sakura and Naruto are doing in the meanwhile? Thank you for reading this far if you did :)


	2. Old Friends and Retrospective

_Author's Note_ : Hello to everybody reading this! I don't know how the average initial responses here tend to be, but I genuinely cannot describe how happy the first reviews made me! I've been sick for a while and I wrote the first chapter while recovering from surgery. I was bored out of my mind and I started all of these new projects while bedridden (still am). I'd been avoiding publishing anything for awhile, but it seems as if I made the right choice now!

 **WARNING** : This chapter contains some mentions of mature topics - nothing obscene or over the top, it's not enough for me to change the story's rating, but I just felt obliged to mention it.

Thanks to everybody reading this and to everybody who encouraged me to continue this story! Your reviews are highly motivational, so if any of you want more, I will grant your wishes! I have lots of time on my hands anyways!

Enjoy this chapter where we visit Naruto and Sakura who are at a meeting in the Land of Grass. There is a lot more conversation here because they are already close and extroverted to begin with.

 _Chapter 2_

As the last of the five Kage signed a large scroll in blood, a small child folded it and carried it out of the room.

"And that's a wrap!" Naruto grinned, standing up and stretching his sore muscles. "Finally!" Sakura rose to her feet along with the rest of the room gathered about the round table. Sighs and chatter penetrated the heavy atmosphere, as everybody was able to act normally again.

"Good job, guys!" The blond Hokage nodded to his colleagues who responded heterogeneously, all quite relieved that the six hour long meeting had finally come to an end.

"Thanks for coming, Sakura." He turned to his friend as they started joining the current of people exiting the room. With his rectangular hat held to his chest, he eyed the pink haired medic who smiled. Naruto's voice had become slightly deeper and raspier and expression warmer and calmer ever since becoming a family man and getting together with Hinata eight years ago.

"I wouldn't have let you screw things up for me over here. I needed all those herbs you don't know the first thing about." She jarred jokingly.

It was already late in the evening and the pair decided to have something to eat in the hotel's restaurant at the top floor.

Naruto was eerily stirring his noodles with the tip of a pair of chopsticks, watching the soup flow and the steam rise. Sakura's emerald orbs were glued to a far point in the dark landscape of the Land of Grass.

"Hello there, Fire folk." They turned to where the raspy voice was coming from. Their table was right beside the wide windows and the restaurant was colored in a lively scheme of reds and golds. The Raikage approached them and didn't mind asking for a seat before slipping into the remaining vacant chair. "Darui." Naruto tiredly acknowledged with a smile.

The tan whitehead smirked, crossing his legs comfortably. "You two sure look miserable." He said, watching the pair sigh. "It's just late, don't worry about it. Have you had dinner yet?" Sakura asked with a smile. Darui nodded. "It's past midnight. You two are the only idiots who didn't sneak any food in back there."

Naruto sweat-dropped. He had tried to convince Sakura, but she was a tough nut to crack. It did make sense considering the fact that the two Leaf ninja were the only ones occupying the spacious restaurant aside from their intruder. "Sorry…" She pleaded to her taller companion who just shrugged his shoulders.

"What's bothering you two? No offense, but normally you're the loudest of the crowd during these meetings." The man puffed his chest. The pair exchanged glances. "Nothing's bothering me, I don't know about-- yeah, nothing's bothering us." Naruto pouted and Sakura nodded decisively.

"Lonely much?" Darui questioned before taking a gulp of Sakura's bubbly drink, making a grimace once its sweetness overwhelmed his sharp senses. Naruto blinked, testing how the inquiry matched with his state of mind. Sakura watched her friend's lost gaze and sighed. "What are you doing here, Darui?" The medic forced a smile on her face, taking her cup from the rippled man's hand. He chuckled. "I am waiting for someone." Shadows danced across his hooded mug and his cleancut mustache darted upwards as he smirked, closing his eyes. "Omoi?" Naruto guessed, chewing on his noodles. "No… But it seems as if I'll be leaving you now…"

"Darui."

Naruto muffled a snort at the figure who made an appearance and neared their table. Sakura froze. "Samui, dear." The Raikage glanced over his shoulder, beaming at the stoic blonde woman standing behind him. "We ought to go." Her icy orbs bore into his own before glancing at his companions. "Lord Hokage. Lady Uchiha." Sha politely bowed to both who reciprocated with awkward nods and murmurs. "If you say so, sweetie." Darui leaned against the surface of the table, pushing himself up to stand.

"Until the next time." He grinned lazily before turning to Samui who was averting her gaze. Once they began to walk away together quietly, the Leaf nin could make out some words that were escaping their lips. "Don't call me that in public…" Samui complained awkwardly as their shoulders brushed. Their eavesdroppers could've sworn that they saw a blush on her cheeks as she turned sideways to glare at her husband. "I am sorry." He said. "You apologize for everything." She hissed, causing a chuckle to echo the room as they were already near entering the distant elevator. "I am a dull one, aren't I?"

Certainly, they made a beautiful couple. The paleness of Samui's hair and complexion pleasantly contrasted her lover's tan skin, although with equally exceptional bodies they were a match made in heaven. Their attitudes and personalities were an entirely different story though. As it was a custom in Kumogakure, both of their names reflected some of their key traits. Samui meaning 'cold' and Darui meaning 'dull'. The man's passion for puns and apologies had never worn off, and Naruto wondered how such a placid woman could've fallen in love with someone as aloof.

He and Sakura kept their retreating forms in their line of vision. "Who would've thought, huh?" The Hokage rested his chin upon the palm of his hand tiredly. The elevator door closed and Darui waved at them before it hid his silhouette entirely. They turned to face one another. "Actually, I don't think it's surprising they ended up together at all." Sakura stated confidently before dipping a piece of her tempura into some tomato sauce. Naruto quirked a brow. "How come?" He pondered.

The woman laughed lightly. "Out of all people, I thought you would best know the virtues of healthy relationships based on differences." Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Well when you put it that way, it just sounds horrible!" With that, he picked up his bowl and brought it to his lips, slurping up the last drops of the soup remaining. He licked the corners of his lips, before wiping them clean with a napkin before putting it aside. "Hinata and I are more alike than you would imagine."

Sakura leaned back in her seat, too full to finish her meal. "Care to elaborate on that?" Naruto smiled. "We had different childhoods, but we entered adulthood knowing the same things and having the exact same aspirations in life." He stated. "That's an awfully smart way to put it." Sakura chuckled as a waiter approached them and took both of their mostly empty dishes.

"I have national interests I use my words to protect. Of course they didn't let me run for office without educating me a bit first. 'Believe it!' doesn't always make the cut, which sucks, but I manage. Funny thing is, when Hinata and I started dating, sometimes I couldn't understand what she was saying, so she had to simplify her manner of speaking for a while until I caught up. If anybody appreciates a wide vocab, it's the Hyuugas, believe me when I say this. When I went to ask Hiashi for Hinata's hand in marriage, I had to wing it, the old man was just freaking me out. Everything that leaves his mouth is archaic. She taught me lots of fancy words I didn't even know existed."

Sakura giggled. "I had to force those out of Sasuke's mouth, on the other hand. I feel like, for some reason, he had been embarrassed to talk about mundane things, but we worked on that. He also took forever to understand that people were there to help him and that it is okay to rely on others. There was this one time while we were traveling that I accidentally broke his arm during training someplace in the Land of Lightning. I bandaged it, and it healed quite quickly, but he kept refusing help until he ended up accidentally getting mud in his hair." Naruto's grin widened knowingly as he howled. Sakura chuckled. "It is a taboo topic, but hubby loves his hair as much as he does his ego. He ended up giving up and letting me wash it for him. It was actually quite romantic. We still do it from time to time..."

The woman blushed and Naruto cooed at her visage. "Twenty years and you are still as hung up over him as you used to be back in the Academy..." He heaved, teasingly.

"Truthfully,", he started. "I keep my bandages on not because there's anything particularly wrong with my arm... It's just that I'm slightly self-conscious about it. Hinata noticed that early on. One night while we were in bed, she insisted that I took them off. It was dark, but even though I knew that she could easily see it with her Byakugan if she wanted to, she convinced me to do it. So, when I peeled them off, it didn't feel good. I felt too naked, too exposed, but she said that the point of us being married was to be able to be honest and all of those things together and still love each other. Neither of us slept that night. She just kept running the tips of her fingers gently up and down the skin of it, as if memorizing it. But that's just the way she is. She wants to know me, all of me, and I still find it hard to believe sometimes, that I deserve a woman like her. So, even though I'm not nearly as observant as Shikamaru per say, I began to pick up on her habits and quirks. It's been eight years since then and she never fails to surprise me."

Naruto splashed some water into his own face, mindlessly, before running a small tower over it to dry. "I am rugged and transparent with the things I want. When I fell in love with her the whole village knew and I didn't hold back from bragging about us. I still don't. Even though we changed one another, I never seem to run out of things to learn about her. Still water runs deep, they say. The more I think about it, the more sense it makes. I never would've guessed how passionate she is about so many things. She has a wonderful voice and she paints too. Giving my children her as a mother is the best thing that I have ever done. When Boruto came along, I was happy, but terrified! I'd just become a father when I realized I'd never held a baby in my life before." He exclaimed.

"Once, Hinata had to attend a meeting with the Hyuuga officials and that resulted in me staying alone with Boruto for the first time." Naruto ran a hand through his hair, emotions swaying his cool. "He was a few months old back then, and only that day did it really and entirely sink in that I was the father of this beautiful child and that it is not only Hinata's responsibility to take care of him. My fears were selfish, although unintentional. I started ushering her to go out more and have fun. The two of us started doing date nights after a while too and Hanabi would always lend a hand with taking care of him and later on, Himawari too. It took me a while to warm up to the role of being a parent, although Hinata is a natural." He smiled, tenderly.

Sakura giggled. "If you were so surprised by the change, imagine how Sasuke felt about it. Honestly, it wasn't easy for me while he was traveling. I wasn't necessarily lonely with you and Hinata and everybody else around and going through the same thing, but acting as a single parent was... disheartening at times. But later, I realized Sasuke was beyond terrified of having a child. He's adored Sarada from the moment she was born and he loves me too. The thing he feared most was karma, I guess." She said sheepishly. "He still spends sleepless nights at her bedside. Sasuke, I believe, is very much afraid that his child will pay for his sins. I even think he suspects that he's become too fortunate and that we are just going to whither like his last family, but that's not going to happen."

The blond Hokage sunk back into the mineral water. "He's too emotional for his own good, that idiot." Naruto murmured a great truth most found hard to believe. People were generally fooled by his best friend's cold exterior.

His pink haired companion's expression brightened. "Promise you won't let him know I told you this, but... Years ago, Temari and I were both simultaneously pregnant. She's always had this for calling Shikamaru a crybaby. He nicknamed her as his 'troublesome woman'. It's cute, really, but Shikamaru never appeared to be the affectionate type, so I didn't see the deeper meaning behind it. She was further into her pregnancy than I was, so it was more convenient that we visited their place. Sasuke felt awkward sitting with us so he went to assist his fellow male at sorting out baby clothes in the newly constructed kids' room. An hour later we found both of them wiping tears with little blue socks while seated on the floor. It was a heated battle of testosterone obviously dedicated to testing who was more driven and awestruck by the miracle of life out of the two. We just turned around and left, never mentioning it again, for their prides' sake."

Naruto was gripping his stomach as he bent inwards, not managing to contain his laughter. "Man, I envy you for getting to see him make a fool out of himself all the time. I would pay for that show!" He exclaimed. His friend nodded enthusiastically. "For a ninja of his caliber, he really sucks at everyday life. Don't get me started on the time he came back three years ago and was entirely guilt-driven for months. He offered to go grocery shopping for me but ended up burning down the local market half an hour later. Now I have to shop on the other side of the village." She hummed wistfully.

There was a deep silence on both sides. Only the muted footsteps and clicking of plates from the kitchen stirred their impeccable hearing. The moon was bright, illuminating the horizon and it somehow made images of their silent lovers wash over their conscious minds.

"We are… just a bit lonely without them, aren't we?" Sakura sighed, rubbing the side of her sore neck. Naruto gradually grew serious.

"...Hinata's been having a rough time without me. I hate that this is the kind of parent and husband I came to be. Only a year has passed, but sometimes I think that becoming Hokage wasn't worth it." Naruto's silent confession glided through the atmosphere. Sakura blinked, enjoying the wavering calm. "It probably wasn't." The woman agreed without putting much thought into it. It was a given, and Naruto did not disagree. "...but Hinata wanted you to fulfil your dream. You did and now it is your responsibility not to leave your family behind. Neither the village that you have taken guardianship of, nor the one which you two have built together." Naruto chuckled, running a bandaged hand through his hair. "Boruto's already started acting out."

Sakura heaved. "Hinata can't replace his father, you know that, right?" Then she paused, seeing the turmoil growing on her friend's visage, weighing his features. He had already aged since a year ago, but maybe that was just her impression. "Nevertheless, you're not a bad father, Naruto." His gaze became doubtful but hopeful simultaneously.

"Bad parents have bad children and you were with Boruto all the time while it counted. Now, they're eight… He's just not used to sharing you with so many people yet. Himawari is five, but with a female child, a mother's presence is much more important, frankly. I think that's why Sarada took Sasuke's absence as well as she did, early on. Because she wasn't missing anything she essentially needed, just something she knew she could have. Boruto is a smart kid. Remember that his situation is not like yours used to be, Naruto."

Her companion's silence was deafening. They rarely had any alone time and there were very few people they would've normally discussed such serious topics with. "You had nobody to turn to and rid you of your insecurities, wipe your tears, teach you about life. You were never stupid, you wouldn't be strutting that Kage robe around here if you were. You just never had anyone to explain things to you and nearly everything you know, you owe to experience which is why Boruto is much more privileged. His parents have gone through hell and back, come from different backgrounds and after your guidance, he will be ready for many more situations which life has in store for him. You haven't crippled him one bit."

Naruto blinked, mug softening. "Sakura-chan, why are you so good at talking… Oh my, I'm tearing up!" He shook his head, squinting his eyes and wiping the moist with the silk of his white and red robe.

Sakura snickered. "Moron…" Drinking the last of her drink, she stood up, walking away. "Wait!" In a second they were strolling to the elevator. "What do we do now?" Naruto pondered, shoving his hands into his pockets. "What do you mean by 'what do we do'?" She asked. "We go to our rooms and sleep. Naruto, I'm not sure whether you noticed, but we are scheduled to leave roughly seven hours from now and it takes five days to reach home if running non-stop." Sakura calculated in disbelief of his question as she pressed the button for the 4th floor in the elevator. The door closed.

As he remained silent and the elevator ventured downwards, Naruto swiftly pushed another button and the elevator shortly halted. The blond exited the contraption on the floor right below the restaurant. "Naruto, this is the 16th! Where are you--" He waved his hand with his back to her. "Naruto!" She yelled before huffing as she ran to catch up to him. "What are you doing?" She stared at him in disbelief.

"I'm going to take a bath!" He beamed childishly in her direction and Sakura rubbed her temples. "You idiot, I am supposed to serve as your body-guard too, how am I supposed to protect while you are in the baths? It's past midnight! This is the worst idea you've ever had!" She castigated.

Fifteen minutes later, all of her hesitation had evaporated as her body sunk deeper into the warm thermal water. "Naruto, this is the best idea you've ever had…" Her back leaned against the cool wooden fence sending pleasant shivers up her spine. "What did I tell you? Don't doubt Hokage-sama, Sakura." Naruto thrived on the opposite side of the wall. The ofuro was entirely empty with the exception of the two of them. Seated on either sides of it, they could hear each other's voices perfectly. "I should take Hinata to the hotsprings when we come back…" Naruto heaved in reminiscence of his wife.

"I'd rather never venture into another public bath with Hinata in my life…" Sakura's lips sunk into the water briefly. It was true that she was considered one of the most beautiful women of Konoha herself, but her best friend's lover was a different story to tell. Sakura's figure had filled out nicely after giving birth to Sarada, but Hinata had had two rounds of the prenatal makeover and a flawless figure to begin with, not to mention her elegant posture and pleasantly demure nature.

"Sometimes I catch myself wondering whether Sasuke would've fallen for her had she not been head over heels for you." She confessed. Hinata had probably been the only girl in the Academy who had not succumbed to the young Uchiha's love spell. Naruto laughed. "Had that been the case, I probably would've vouched to win over her affection instead of yours, impulsively. We probably would've ended up together either way."

Sakura nodded. Although she could not see her companion, she could feel his presence as he leaned against the other side of the wall a couple of feet away from her. Even so, they could predict one another's reactions to various statements and read into little shifts and motions they made. Working as a team really did make people in it predictable, and somehow ever since they were teenagers, Sakura hadn't doubted Naruto would eventually reciprocate Hinata's feelings.

"You two really were meant for each other..." Sakura sighed, sticking some of her toes out of the water to peek at them. Naruto's body relaxed as he leaned his elbow against a rock conveniently placed by his side. There was a number of those framing both the women's and the men's pool.

"Yeah, we are…" Naruto nodded affirmatively. "I took long to notice her feelings, I'm still angry at myself for being so dense. Had I done so earlier, I probably would've asked her out sometime after I came back from my training." He said.

"I believe it is better that you got together later, this way." Sakura concluded, not leaving room for questioning before she continued. "Shikamaru and Temari had met during the chunin exams and caught feelings shortly after that. Ino told me that by the time those two were sixteen, they already knew they wanted to spend their lives together, although neither admitted to it out loud. They started dating a year later, but they were long-distance for a while and then the war happened. Imagine being so young and so in love while having to be separated all the time and simultaneously having to fear for your partner's life. That is a difficult burden to bear, and you see them recovering from it even today. Shikamaru is freakishly protective over their family." She recalled. Naruto agreed.

"Now that I think about it… Had Hinata and I followed the same path as them, I probably wouldn't have fought the same way during that war. I would've wanted to stick by her side. What I would want to do today is to protect my woman and protect our children during such a time. And we wouldn't have been the same people we are today without those experiences. Even if we're trained for it from an early age, killing is something that never becomes easier. Nowadays it happens that I dream about the battlefront and wake up in cold sweat. Everybody who had been there has at least some form of distress even though we don't talk about it."

He blinked, gathering his thoughts and picking his words. "Hinata, on the other hand… She is stronger than I am. She suffered more than I did, she lost Neji and a lot of people she loved who fought alongside her father. Yet, she still doesn't show it. Once a year, she cries for them. Once a year, I hold her and let her feel safe enough to empty her sorrows." He paused. Sakura had a lost expression on her face as she intently listened.

"She teaches the kids about Neji. They know of him and admire him. He is regarded as the hero that he was. While telling them stories, she's always smiling even when she's close to tears. No matter how much she tries to hide it, I know that Hinata still feels guilty for what happened to him." Naruto sighed. "She is this complex life form completed by the most beautiful mind... I got really lucky with her, didn't I?"

"Still water runs deep, huh..?" Sakura rubbed her arms beneath the water's surface. "Sounds familiar."

"I can only hope to be as good a role model to my children as her - as Neji..." He confessed and Sakura decided to reciprocate. "Similarly, Sasuke has a major complex in that area. He's afraid of how his image will affect Sarada in the future, sure. But he used to firmly believe that it would've been better had Itachi lived instead of him. Ever since he leaned of the lover his brother had had and ultimately killed, he'd convinced himself he doesn't deserve to be happy. I have mostly purged his mind of those thoughts, but I still have to make sure he stays on the right track. Even if I have to do it for the rest of my life, I'll be happy to. He's my husband, after all." She slightly blushed as she picked her hair up in a small towel.

"That testosterone though..." Naruto snickered and the woman banged onto the wall with her fist, flushed. "Moron!" He kept laughing. "What? Don't get angry, there's nothing embarrassing about being in love with whom you're married to!.. and also what they physically have to offer. Honestly, I never thought Sasuke had it in him."

Sakura settled with a chuckle. "Speak for yourself... Hinata couldn't stand looking at you without fainting. Tell me, did she stay conscious through your wedding night?" She teased with hidden curiosity. She and Hinata were close, although unlike most of her friends, she did not enjoy disclosing matters about her _intimate_ life. "The wedding night was incredible if that's what you're asking.

"Naruto, first times hurt for girls, I wouldn't use _incredible_ to describe any loss of v..." Sakura's eyes widened. Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, sorry Sakura-chan, that wasn't really..." She gasped. "Naruto, you pervert! You just couldn't wait to get some, could you?!"

"Absolutely not! Sakura, why are we talking about this? I'm glad we're a couple with a healthy sexual appetite. In fact, I plan on staying at the top of my game for the rest of my life for I am certain that Hinata will never lose any of her sex appeal in my eyes. I just need to keep up so she doesn't leave me for some flower boy, although I know that wouldn't happen. Hinata could be eighty and her face could be riddled with wrinkles, but I'd want her all the same. But, neither me nor Sasuke are worried about that. It's only a matter of time before you start using Granny's jutsu and Hyuugas never age.", he concluded brilliantly, closing his eyes in the recollection of his past encounters with members of his wife's clan. His father-in-law wouldn't have looked a day over thirty had it not been for those wrinkles which had formed from excessive frowning. Hinata had mentioned that he developed those sometime during his late twenties, but his wife never frowned or even smiled as obnoxiously widely as he did. Most other women of her clan remained the same throughout most of their lives.

"You're lucky I'm your friend, Naruto. Otherwise I would've beaten you up already. But it is true what you say... Hinata's genes are gold. Boruto is the spitting image of you, although his eyes are lighter and his skin paler." Sakura observantly noted. "Himawari has Hinata's facial structure which I'm glad to have seen happen. The Hyuuga cheekbones... mmm. I almost went gaga for that Neji boy at some point. Let me tell you, that girl better learn to take care of herself, you prepare her for being pursued early on."

"I'm not looking forward to having to defend her from male beasts, although Boruto has already braced himself for that... Sarada looks more like you in my opinion. She's only got Sasuke's eyes and I don't want to know how powerful someone's depression needs to be to conceive a child that is born with an emo bang." Naruto rolled his eyes. Sakura quirked an eyebrow. "What's an emo bang?" She inquired. Her friend chuckled. "Sorry, grandma. I forgot you broke your _hip_." He broke into a fit of laughter. Sakura scowled. "Thank God your kids don't mirror your puns. I've always loved Hinata's sense of humor. It's highbrow, makes me feel smart when I understand her jokes." She beamed.

"Well, let's just hope that you kid doesn't inherit Sasuke's eyeball fetish next time around!" Suddenly, an angry fist collided with the wall once again and unintentionally broke through. Naruto paled as he stumbled back, being towered by a skinny figure hidden by a tower. Sakura's nostrils were flaring as warm mineral water reached above her knees. "Let's not start with fetishes, Naruto." In a few quick seconds, she had arguably the most powerful ninja in the world bowing to her on his knees. "I'm sorry! I won't mention anybody's kinks, I swear!" He pleaded as his nose was dipped inside the water.

Sakura eyed him before mindlessly sitting down in it. Naruto did not question why she didn't go back to her own side. She looked mad with stray locks of pink sticking at awkward angles from in between the folds of her tower. He had one safely around his body and all figures were hidden by the pigmented water. It would have been weird otherwise, seeing a grown-up sibling exposed.

"...what makes you think we'll have another child?" Sakura averted her gaze, staring at a bubble floating on the water's surface. Naruto heaved. _So that's what this is about_ , he thought before grinning. "It's a hunch."

 _End Scene_

 _Author's Note_ : Tell me what you think of my dialogue writing skills! Would you like me to write about any other characters' interactions? Thank you for reading this far if you have!:) Have a nice day!

 _yesool_


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